Till One of Us Sings
by Princess LaLaBlue
Summary: What if the Host Club arrived earlier to Haruhi's house during their first visit? They would have to ring the doorbell, right? And what if someone answered? Turns out, someone did, and she's Haruhi's commoner cousin! Join Aiko, a diamond in the rough that's always ready to pick a fight, as she gets lost in the world of the Host Club, and drawn into the domain of the Shadow King.
1. Sleeping Beauty

Chapter 1; The Fujioka Home:

Yeah, I got a lot of stories going on, but I need to chill from them for a bit. Figured I could have a bit of fun writing this one, I hope you guys have fun reading it!

Oh, uh, rated T for a lot of vulgar language, lots of naughty flirts to come, and perhaps a bit of tense situations and violence. You know, all the good stuff. Might change to M if I feel I am crossing too many lines though, so just be aware of that.

Also, nothing of Ouran High School Host Club Belongs to me. This story follows the anime from episode ten and on.

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><p>It was Sunday, and Kyoya was doing his best to hide his foul mood. For some reason or other, Tamaki had gotten it into his head that they needed to visit Haruhi's home this morning. Something about a nightmare and premium sushi. Kyoya didn't bother to ask for an explanation, but merely arranged to have him, Tamaki, and the other Host Club members picked up and taken to the only female member's home.<p>

Personally, he saw no reason to go. He was well informed about the Fujioka residence and it was not a complete hovel like Tamaki presumed it was. The Fujioka's also were doing just fine for themselves financial wise, as commoners go, and so there was no need to worry themselves about her starving anytime soon. This knowledge was just basics when it came to the Host Club's vice president. It was his task to keep well informed about the doings of the members, from schedules to relatives. There certainly was no need to wake him up on a Sunday morning just to go check on the status of their adopted commoner when he had spent the previous night up planning the club's next events, and certainly no need for him to come along with the troublesome idiot they sometimes bothered to call king.

But his neutral expression showed none of his aggravated thoughts as the company of rich sons were driven to the Fujioka home. It would do him no good to show his surly disposition, he would gain nothing. Besides, this little venture might just prove to be interesting, somehow. Perhaps Ranka-san would give him more photos of young Haruhi.

Soon enough, the Host Club had arrived at their destination.

"Here you are, master." Said the driver as he opened the door. Out of the two cars the Host Club stepped out, looking rich and handsome as always. Garbed in what they thought appropriate attire for visiting a commoner, they tried to blend in, but of course, the stuck out worse than sore thumbs as a small crowd of people had already gathered nearby, whispering about the strangers.

"So this is where Haruhi lives?" Said Kaoru, and Hikaru tilted his head.

"It's pretty big! Bigger than I thought it'd be."

"This building is what you might call an aggregate commoner dwelling. Haruhi's home is just one of the many units." Kyoya explained, he too looking at the building before them with a strange fascination. It was quite clever of the commoners really, conserving space like this. He was curious to see how the inside of the units were laid out, and he found his surliness lifting.

"Kyoya!" Shouted Tamaki, coming right up to the vice-president's face. "Why'd you bring those idiots with us?! Especially those two doppelgangers!"

"Well you see, I knew you didn't have the courage to come here alone, so I thought it'd be best if everyone came along." He explained to the panicking idiot with a sigh. Walking over to the twins, he began to chauffeur them away.

"Alright, let's go home, I guess I underestimated our great leader." He said calmly, though inside he was partially smirking. While it was in his best interest to amuse the club leader, even he at times could not resist in mocking the poor idiot.

"What?! I'm not going home!" Protested the twins simultaneously.

"I'm sorry! Don't leave! I don't want to be alone!" Begged Tamaki.

Soon enough, after all of Tamaki's whimpering was done, all of them were gathered at the base of the stairs that led up to the second floor of the apartment building. As they climbed up in a single file line, Tamaki in the lead gave his orders.

"Now listen up men, don't you forget, we must be polite. This is a casual 'we just happened to be in the neighborhood' kind of visit. We're not here to judge the Fujioka family's life style!"

They all gathered around the door Kyoya had pointed out as being the Fujioka's, forming a semi-circle.

"The words shabby, cramped, and run-down are absolutely forbidden!" Went on Tamaki, the twins and Honey-sempi saluting.

"Right, yes sir!"

"Don't say anything that might offend Haruhi or her father that will cause them to ask us to leave!"

"Right!"

"Gentlemen, brace yourselves. We're going in."

With that, the Host Club, fully braced and prepared for any atrocity, stood absolutely still before the small, white door. It seems whatever nerve Tamaki had managed to gather for himself during his speech had left him, as beads of nervous sweat began to collect on his face.

"Well…I guess there's nothing for it but to ring the doorbell." He said rather timidly.

"Here goes nothing!" Said the twins, pressing the doorbell together.

The short, crisp ring rang out for only a second, fading the moment the twins took their fingers off of the bell. What followed was silence. The company of boys stood by the door, still tense, listening and waiting with nervous expressions, exceptions being Kyoya and Takashi. Pretty soon though, the sound of shuffling footsteps could be heard on the other side, and the door knob rattled.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Ranka…don't tell me that you forgot your keys again…" A voice growled sleepily from the other side as the door slowly opened. What greeted them was not all together what they had been expecting, and that included Kyoya.

It was a moving mop of the most unruly brown hair, plopped on what looked like a person in a tank top and jeans. Whoever they were, their face could not be seen under the mess of tangled locks, and they made continuous groaning noises that could have come straight out of a horror movie. And that of course set some of the more nervous club members to retreat a little.

"AAHH! Zombie!" Shouted the twins and Tamaki, Honey hopping into Takashi's arms as the stranger then growled at the loud noise they were making, only serving to rile up the skittish boys even more.

"Can I help you?"

"So sorry to disturb you, but we were led to believe that a Haruhi Fujioka lived in this residence?" Stepped in the always collected Kyoya, though inside his surliness had come back tenfold. He thought the Fujioka household only consisted of Haruhi and her father. His intel said nothing about a third person. Just who was this person and how could he have possibly been unware of them?

"Huh?" Groaned the stranger before they nodded, scratching the back of their head sleepily. "Oh. Yeah, but you just missed her. She went out shopping. She should be back soon."

"I see," Said Kyoya, putting a hand to his chin. "Do you mind if we wait outside until she arrives?"

"I guess. Are you friends of hers or something?" The stranger asked in an gruff-sounding voice that couldn't just be attributed to their having just woken up.

"How rude of us." Replied Kyoya, bowing his head a little to place a hand across his chest in mild formality. Until he assessed this situation and who this person was, it was always wise to be on his best of behavior. One could nver know just who might turn out to be useful. "We are the Ouran Academy's Host Club. I am the club's vice-president, Kyoya Ootori. This here is Mitsukuni Haninozuka and Takashi Morinozuka. The three huddling by the stairs there are Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin and our brave president, Tamaki Suoh."

The stranger, leaning out of the doorway a little, glanced over at the three that Kyoya was pointing to. Pushing the wild, sleep rumpled hair out of their face, the stranger stared at them.

"Yeah, okay. Maybe I should rephrase my question. What do you guys want with Haruhi–"

Tamaki and the twins shared a startling gasp, interrupting the stranger. In an instant, all three boys where crowding around the stranger, who took a surprised step back into the apartment, arms raised defensively.

"The zombie's impersonating Haruhi!"

"It's not a zombie, it's a girl! And she's the spitting image of Haru-chan!"

"She's much taller than Haruhi, but I guess they look similar. Maybe their related?"

All three boys locked glances and then nodded solemnly. Altogether, they stared at the now shocked girl with such seriousness that she slowly found herself reaching to slam the door shut on them. However, their looks melted away into the most idiotic of smiles.

"It's a Haruhi twin doll! And she's so cute!" They shouted, reaching forward to hug the girl. She was not exactly comfortable with the contact, and immediately started to wiggle out of their hold.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?! Let me go!" She shouted while continuing her struggle. The boys would not listen, and were continuing to coo and gush over her. Things only came to an end when she ended up head butting the prince of the host club in the nose, sending him reeling back to the railing outside, clutching his face. The girl didn't look phased at all despite the rough contact. She stood herself up straight when the terrified twins backed off, and pushing the final lock of hair out of her face, she glared at them all, hands at her hips.

"Stop calling my Haruhi, and she's my cousin, not my twin! I am Aiko Fujioka, and I want you all to leave now before I get really mad!"

The only one bold enough to stand by the doorway at this point now was Kyoya, all the others having backed far away, and with this he had an excellent view to study the strange girl who was now pointing an accusing finger at him and the startled host club.

Kaoru was right, she was much taller than Haruhi, almost his height in fact. There were also some other notable differences between the girls, namely that this one had, to put it bluntly, a more obvious feminine physique to her that was amplified by her low cut tank top and jeans. Her hair was of course much more unruly than Haruhi's straight locks and reached down to her waist, but it and her irises were a few shades darker too, like dark chocolate. It was only in her facial features she truly showed any family resemblance to the female Host Club member; stern, pouting lips, soft-looking cheeks, and the largest, brightest eyes ever to be seen. Of course, those eyes of hers were blazing now with an all too familiar annoyance for the Host Club, of whom she continued to glare daggers at.

Kyoya smiled to himself, finally grasping the situation and filling in the gaps that explained her being here. Turning that devilishly charming smile towards the girl, he grabbed her attention.

"I apologize for them, Aiko-san. They just happen to get a little excited. There's really no need to do anything drastic."

"Yeah, well I just _happen_ to be fed up with this nonsense, so I suggest you get going before I–"

"Aiko? What's going on? GAH! Why are you guys here?!" Shouted a familiar voice from the top of the stairs. All turned to see Haruhi, carrying grocery bags, and looking both surprised and irritated to see the Host Club at her door. Aiko stepped out onto the decking, not bothering to put something on her bare feet.

"They just showed up, said that they were from your school or something. Since when do you hang out with _these_ kinds of people?" She asked, her tone meant to insult as she gestured towards the group of boys as she came to stand by Haruhi. Standing side by side, it was very easy to see how the two were related, and honestly the Host Club could not pick who they were more afraid of at the moment.

"Not willingly. Besides, you're not one to talk." Said Haruhi, letting Aiko take the grocery bags without a word of protest. It seemed the presence of Haruhi had an immediate placating effect on the taller girl, her annoyance for the Host Club turning mild.

"Yeah, but you're the smart one. How'd you land yourself in the company of idiots?"

"It's a long story."

The girls brushed by still perplexed and terrified group of young men, almost as if they were mere, annoying flies as they went towards the still open apartment door.

"Besides Aiko, what are you doing here still?"

"Didn't your dad tell you? I'm staying for a couple of weeks. Maybe even a couple of months."

"Oh, I thought it was only for the weekend. In that case, you don't have to sleep on the living room floor. We can share my room. I got an extra futon."

"You sure? I don't want to bother your studies."

"You won't. You mostly sleep during the day anyway."

"True." As if on cue, Aiko yawned deeply, turning inside the doorway to disappear and start putting away the groceries. Haruhi however, stayed outside, her back turned to the other Host Club members. It was then that Tamaki remembered he had a voice, and tried to use it.

"Um, Haru-chan? I, we, uh…"

Haruhi turned, her eyes a deadly shade of annoyance. The blonde prince instantly shut himself up. The others let their prince take the wrath of Haruhi's crushing glare, though Kyoya still had yet to move from his position by the door. Coming back out, Aiko joined her cousin in her glaring.

"Want me to get rid of them?"

"Nah. I can handle them. Besides, I wouldn't want you to get a headache. These guys can be more than a handful." Said Haruhi, grumbling the last part to herself. After a moment of consideration, the taller girl shrugged.

"Suit yourself. I'm going for a walk." Once more disappearing into the apartment for a moment, she reemerged with a light jacket. After slipping on a pair of boots that rested by the entrance way, she stepped out, inadvertently coming to stand next to Kyoya.

"Okay. Try and be home before midnight this time." Said Haruhi with some concern in her voice. This made Aiko smile for the first time since the Host Club met her, though it was really more of a devious smirk than anything else.

"Come on, Haruhi. You know I never make promises I don't intend to keep."

With that, she started to walk towards the stairs, making the Host Club members scatter to press themselves against the wall of the apartment complex to avoid her, Tamaki holding onto what was rapidly become a bruised nose.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Aiko-san. And I apologize for the inconvenience." Said Kyoya, acting in behalf of the Host Club's reputation, once more putting on his charming smile. At this, the girl turned, but instead of glaring as he expected, she gave him a studious gaze. It was as if she was trying to sum him up,. Her conclusion was unknown to Kyoya as she turned sharply away, giving only a half-hearted wave.

"Pleasure was all yours, pretty boy."

Haruhi sighed to herself. Why her? Why on a Sunday? Just why? Slowly, she turned to the Host Club, who were still hanging around her like a couple of strays.

"Now then…what the hell were you guys thinking, turning up at my house?!" Haruhi shouted, her eyes blazing and teeth bared. The others instantly started making their apologizes and excuses, but Kyoya turned away from the commotion. For a moment, he watched as the long trial of Aiko's dark brown hair disappeared from view as she walked down the stairs, and the charming smile he had put on before turned into a frown.

Shortly after, when Haruhi shouted at them to stop asking her questions about Aiko, the other host club members forgot all about Haruhi's cousin. What with the excitement of finally getting to see her home and then the unexpected meeting with her father, there was little time to really reflect on their first meeting with her anyways. However, one dark prince could not help but experience the fleeting thought that, with her around, things just might become a little more troublesome, and perhaps, interesting.

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><p>Thanks for reading. Another chapter will follow most likely by tomorrow. See you guys then!<p> 


	2. Run Over by the Devil

**Chapter 2; Run Over by the Devil:**

I started this fanfic because one, I love Ouran, and two; I wanted to write something a bit more light and fluffy than I am used to. Actually, a lot more fluffy. Normally someone would have been killed or kidnapped by now in my other stories. I'm serious. Oh well, drama will come, but until then enjoy the fluff!

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><p>It had been nearly a month since Aiko had moved into her uncle's house. So far it had been a pleasant, lazy time, but Aiko was getting sick of just laying around all day, either sleeping or bored.<p>

Of course, whenever she complained about her predicament, Haruhi would always suggest that she should try looking for a job. While the notion of working repelled Aiko, she being very lethargic by nature, there was wisdom in what her little cousin said.

Besides, Aiko was no freeloader. She didn't want to owe her uncle anything for putting up with her since her mom had kicked her out. Again.

Aiko let out a sigh, pulling the hood of her jacket further over her face while the sun continued to beat against the back of her head. She was once again out for her famous walks, which could last up from a couple of hours to an entire day if the mood struck her. It was her habit to explore the city until she had it memorized. It was a habit that had stuck with her before her mom had sent her packing to live with her uncle.

Another sigh.

She didn't like thinking about her circumstance, cause whenever she did, all she could think of was how right her mother was right to send her away. She had gotten in deep this time. Last time, it was a simple matter of attitude adjustment, at which she succeeded after some time with her father here on the other side Tokyo from where her mom and brother lived. This time though, she had managed to dig for herself a far deeper hole, and now her father was not around to bail her out. Actually, it was more or less the opposite now, and that thought brought a bitter smile to her face.

Turning down a corner, Aiko glanced up, taking in the signs and trying her best to memorize her position. She never really had a point to any of her little excursions, but by the end of most of them, she would find herself someplace at least remotely interesting. That's why she memorized the streets, so she could find her way back to them. She was hopeless at reading a map. As to why she did it, she couldn't really say. Despite being lazy, something in her was restless, and it made her an unhappy contradiction, especially when her feet started to protest. That's why she always wore her thick boots, so her feet wouldn't kill her in the middle of the night.

Today, she had ended up in the shopping district. Not the fashion or food market, no. On all sides, the street was lined up with antique shops and used books stores.

If only she had money to burn, she thought while she drooled at the sight before her. But even with herself cash strapped, Aiko could not help lingering before each store window. She might not look it, what with her fraying jeans and oversized tee-shirt, but she actually loved pretty things, especially pretty things that weren't particularly wanted by others. Second-hand items always appealed to her for some reason, though if she gave it even a second of reflection, she'd find its because it was in her nature to like things other people no longer saw a use for or liked to call junk. Books mostly were her weakness. It just irritated her when people got rid of their books just because they read it once or twice and thought its purpose was over. In her experience, a story was never over even when you reached the back cover.

Seeing a beautiful book bound in red leather perched in the window, Aiko let out her hundredth sigh for the day. No way would she be able to resist it. Pulling out the last few yen she had in her pocket, she headed inside the store.

Moments later, she emerged, the book she wanted and then some in a bag she had slung over her shoulder, and she was already experience buyer's remorse. She had no self-control. Well, that was how she ended up here in the first place.

Wait. Wasn't there actually a point to her walking today? Oh, right. Haruhi told her to get a job today or else she shouldn't bother coming back. Man, Haruhi could be tough sometimes, always trying to strive for something, never once being lazy. But that didn't surprise Aiko, Haruhi and she had always been different, since they were kids actually.

Well, getting a job was always easier said than done. But, maybe Aiko would get lucky for once, and find something that paid well and required her to make only the most minimal effort to move.

No one was that lucky though.

Now paying attention to wanted help signs instead of where she was going, Aiko soon lost herself. So long as she paid attention to where she was going , she was just fine, but the moment she stopped, and instead focused on anything else, her natural lack of self-direction took charge. But she didn't mind, she would come across something familiar again. Besides, sometimes it was nice not knowing where you were. It was the closet some people could get to not knowing who they were.

"Aiko? Is that you?" A voice spoke up behind her. Turning away from a flier she had been looking at, Aiko turned to see a familiar face. Internally she felt like a deer facing head lights.

"Hey Minori. It's been a long time." She greeted the girl who had been standing behind her. The short, blonde haired Minori was wearing a school uniform, composed of a matching dark blue jacket and skirt, with hair tied up in a ponytails that curled prettily down her back. She gave Aiko the most welcoming of smiles, to which she returned with a barely hidden grimace as she lowered her hood.

"It has, hasn't it? We've missed you since you left!" Said Minori, gushing. Aiko tried to imitate a smile that matched hers, trying to settle herself. What was Minori doing here? Had she really wandered back to her old school district? That had to be more than seven miles from Haruhi's house! Gah, of course she would wander back her, her and her damn subconscious! But, perhaps it would do her good to see some old faces. Besides, Minori had never been mean to her. A bit dense, but never mean, at least as far as Aiko could remember.

"Thanks, didn't think anyone would really notice my being gone." She said. At this Minori laughed.

"Are you kidding me? You were always a lot of fun, especially whenever you talked back to Mr. Moto. Remember you once made him get so mad, his bald head turned red!"

Aiko started to chuckle nervously. Seems that Minori hadn't changed one bit since she had seen her six months ago. That was rather nice to know, despite circumstances.

"I really think that was his blood pressure acting up. An ambulance was called for him after that."

"And the others miss you too!" Went on Minori, coming up close to Aiko to tug at her sleeve, not noticing how the girl suddenly tensed up. "Especially Koji. I think he had a thing for you, you know?"

At this Aiko shook her head, smirking despite her rising nervousness. She never really liked being touched, but Minori was just being friendly. But, she really, really, _really _did not like to be touched.

"No, he just liked cheating off my tests. Too bad for him I never really studied for any of them."

"There you go again! You're such a riot."

It went on like that for a couple minutes. The two of them chatted on the sidewalk, talking over old memories that they had made by having shared a class together. When they used to go to the same school, Minori never really paid attention to Aiko, but Aiko was finding that she was enjoying seeing someone she was familiar with from her ex-high school. Surprisingly, it didn't make her sad or angry to think over those not too distant days. Maybe she was finally getting over it.

…of course though, something had to go and ruin this rising good mood of hers, as Minori suddenly changed topics.

"Hey, just curious, you still with the Butterflies?" The high schooler whispered, her tone excited from scandal.

Aiko's brows furrowed in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Butterflies! You were a part of their gang, weren't you? That's why your mom took you out of school, right? But I guess you're good now. I mean, that's so exciting of you! To have joined a gang! Everyone else would call me crazy for talking to you right now, but I think it was pretty cool of you to–"

Aiko felt like Minori had just thrown a brick at her head. Actually, that would have been better, as at least that she would be unconscious right now. The Butterflies? What kind of name was that? And why would Minori think she had joined such a silly named gang? Is that what people thought of her at her old high school? She was just some punk that got pulled out? Did they presume that because of what happened to her father?

Probably. Most likely yes.

People loved spreading juicy rumors, and she guessed her disappearance was the juiciest of all. Worst still was how people would just out right accept any story, just because they wanted to believe it was true. That fact was no different now than it was six months ago, when she left school. Everyone still believed her to be just some punk back at her old school. Someone who only caused trouble and deserved what she got, a scandal to talk about. Everyone believed her to be the daughter of a monster still…

"No. I never had a gang. I never needed one." Said Aiko, interrupting Minori.

"What?" Asked Minori, now confused and somewhat pouting. She had really been hoping to tell her friends something new tomorrow.

"And my mom never pulled me out. I got kicked out. Want to know what for?"

At this, Aiko leaned in very, lowering her voice to a whisper only Minori could hear.

"Remember our old gym building?"

At once, Minori pulled away, and Aiko's let a bright smile grow, though something in its corners hinted at the devious. On Minori's face was absolute shock.

"Y-you mean it was you who…who…"

"Yeah." Aiko answered as she rubbed the back of head sheepishly. "In retrospect, the flames weren't nearly as high as I wanted them to get, but the boiler exploding was an unexpected surprise. You remember the sound it made? KA-BOOM!"

At this she smiled even wider at the now backing away Minori.

"It was great catching up with you Minori! We should do this again sometime! Want to exchange numbers?"

"Actually, I-I-I have to go…"

At this Aiko pouted.

"Aw, too bad."

She shrugged, bringing the bag of books she was holding to hang by her side.

"Oh well, maybe next time."

Without further ado, Aiko parted ways with the frozen high schooler. As soon as she turned out of their terrified view however, Aiko couldn't hold it in anymore.

She laughed long and hard, until her sides started to hurt and her cheeks felt wet.

The old gym burned down because of faulty wiring, but it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. No doubt Minori was going to spread that story all over Aiko's old school. Oh, how she would love to see their faces. Particularly Mr. Moto's. He had been her least favorite teacher, always telling her sit up straight and pay attention, to stop acting like such a punk.

At this, Aiko stopped laughing, bringing her hands down from her sides to cross her chest. Well, if she had to guess, she was sort of a punk. She didn't join a gang or anything, but she had this very close relationship with trouble that she liked to keep strong. This hadn't been the first time she told that story to an old acquaintance of hers, nor would it be the last. She had an awful habit of delivering the worst when people expected that of her. Oddly enough, on a normal basis she didn't like to meet people's expectations. She still didn't, which is why she made sure to exceed them.

Still, the incident had, in the end, manage to upset her. She didn't like people making presumptions about her, or her activities. Aiko could feel her temper rising with every step she took, not looking left of right, but couldn't stop herself from thinking about all the idiots that upset her with their gossip or their simple lack of brains. Minori was now at the top of her list, but there were so many others. Even before she left school, she knew what people were saying about her, and her father. Idiots, all of them. What did they know? Nothing, they should learn to keep their mouths shut.

From Minori, to Koji, even Mr. Moto. There were also many new idiots for her to deal with. Ranka could be one sometimes, however well meaning, and Officer Shiro, her father too, and who were those idiots that woke her up that one morning? They were especially idiots, barging in and ruining what had been her first morning of normalcy since being kicked out of her own home. Mit something, and Hitachiin. And that other one, the one with the damn smile, Kyo–

There was a screech, and the smell of burning tires hit Aiko's senses before she could even turn to face the direction they were coming from.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Aiko found herself on the asphalt, breathing hard, arms raised defensively in front of her face. As no fatal sound of metal against concrete came to her attention, she slowly opened her eyes. She was left slack jawed to see a car not two feet away from where she had fallen back.

Jeez…talk about close. What was it with her and near-death experiences anyways?

Somehow, in her haze of irritation, Aiko made the mistake of walking into the middle of the street. She was lucky that she didn't get killed, but she did feel some nice bruises beginning to knot up along her back. Still, her survival was not enough for Aiko, and without thinking, she stood herself up. Anger flaring, she directed all of her energy onto the car that faced her.

"Idiot!"

Raising her leg, she deliver a good kick to the bumper, jostling the car and leaving a scuff mark from her boot on the black paint job.

"Idiot!"

She shouted louder, kicking the car once again.

"Idiot!"

Kick.

"Idiot!"

Kick.

"Idiots all of them!"

Kick!

"Why don't you watch where you're going?! Right of way to pedestrians, you complete IDIOT!"

KICK!

By this point and time, Aiko was breathing really hard, her temper making her shake. But the physical abuse on the car had been soothing, and she felt herself calm down, her mind returning to her.

It was only then she realized that the biggest idiot right now, was her. What…had she just done?

"Pedestrians may have right of way, but jaywalking is illegal. And so is damaging private property."

Looking up, Aiko watched as a young man stepped out of the rear of the car, and turned to face her. He was tall, with dark hair and glasses that hid his eyes. He wore a high school uniform, only this one paled Minori's and all others she had ever seen, which a light blue jacket with an elegant seal sewn into the breast. He was the very of picture of poise, every inch of him impeccably groomed. And though the tone of his voice had been more than annoyed, it was rich and smooth, like coffee on a cold morning. And just as Aiko was about to label him as _somewhat_ handsome looking, the young man pushed up his glasses but a little bit, allowing her a clear view of his entire face.

Aiko felt herself twitching in shock.

It was that pretty boy. Kyoya.

**.**

**.**

**.**

What was that saying again?

Speak of the devil, and he will answer?

Was he…the…

**.**

**.**

**.**

It seemed recognition went both ways, as pretty boy, with his cold grey eyes, looked Aiko over in some surprise.

"Ah, Aiko-san. I do hope that no harm has come to you."

Aiko found herself taking a step back for some reason. She had been bracing for a shouting match the moment she saw the car door opened, and truthfully she would be deserving of that, but she honestly did not expect this. It left her a little shell shocked, so all she could managed was a timid:

"N-no."

"Good." He said, though his tone did not give any hint of actual relief that she was unharmed. "I also hope that you will be able to pay for the damage you have just done to my father's car."

At this remark, Aiko was smacked out of her surprise. Pay for the damage? Had she really been that rough? She looked down at the mark she had made. It didn't really look all that bad. Aiko knew she shouldn't have run out into the street, and hey, perhaps she over reacted, but it's not like she dented the thing. She was just venting a little misdirected anger, her temper getting the better of her.

"Pay? It's just a mark. Buff it and it'll be good as new." She explained plainly. Though it would probably help her case, Aiko didn't want to give her excuse for what happened. Even if it was true, an excuse was always pathetic, especially hers.

"Yes, but who is going to pay for the time wasted on such an endeavor, or for the time I am wasting here, talking to you." Said the pretty boy, walking over to stand before her, irritation rolling off of him in waves "Do not turn this into an altercation. You were in the wrong here, and you need to–"

"I don't need to do anything. Buff it out yourself, pretty boy. I also don't have time for your whining." Interrupted Aiko. She knew she had no right to get mad, but he was slowly starting to justify her actions, in her perverted, anger fueled logic, if it could be called that.

"Then perhaps you will have time for the authorities." He said simply, taking a cell phone out from his jacket pocket. Aiko's brow twitched.

"You can't be serious…"

"You damaged personal property over a little temper tantrum, and you're telling me that I'm not being serious enough?"

Just who was this guy? One month ago he was an annoying, if polite idiot that had woken her up one morning. He seemed nice enough, but even then, Aiko sensed something off about him. She normally had good intuitions about people. Normally. In this case, that funny feeling she got from before had turned out to be true; this guy was a complete, cold-cut hard ass! It was like he had two personalities, no, like he wore two different masks, one polite and smiling, and the other one…this! Actually, he kind of reminded her of someone she held very dear…

"But if you would prefer to avoid my using such drastic measures, as I would, perhaps we can come to some sort of–"

"I can't pay you." Once more interrupted Aiko, though she was much calmer. She forced herself to look into the boy's eyes, her gaze sincere. "I don't have any money."

The boy's stern expression grew harder, and Aiko found herself grimacing at the look of it.

"Then we have a problem."

"I can get the money though, I promise. Just give me a week." She said, again, sincere. She would pay for it for herself, somehow. Aiko didn't want to bother either Ranka or Haruhi with this, and she especially did not want her mother to find out.

The pretty boy just continued to just glare at her, his cell phone still held threateningly in his hands. Oh god, what if he did call the cops, and it was Officer Shiro who showed up? She better resolve this quick, and calmly. If she was even capable of that.

"And I suppose I should just trust in your word, is that it?" Said the young man finally, his voice full of deride. Aiko nodded her head firmly, her own expression becoming stern, though she couldn't help a twitch of a smirk from showing up. Like she said before, she and trouble had this very affectionate relationship.

"I never make promises I don't intend to keep."

With that, she immediately walked away, heading for the first building that was next to them. Going up to its window, she took down the "Help Wanted" sign that was conveniently hanging. Walking over to grab the handle of the building's entrance, she turned to look back at the pretty boy, who was still standing over by his car.

"I'm still at Haruhi's. Mail the bill there, and address it to me. Don't you dare even think about telling Haruhi anything." At this, her smirk grew wider, seeing a hint of surprise in the young man's face.

"And get moving pretty boy, you're blocking traffic."

With that, she left to go inside the random building she had chosen, disappearing from the young man's view.

…what was she thinking? No, really…what did she just do?

* * *

><p>Ah, a heroine with a dark past? I wonder why that sounds so familiar…oh, right, that's how I write all my female characters…uh heh heh…sorry. But like I said in the beginning, this is supposed to be light and fluffy, well, at least light and fluffy for me.<p>

Jeez, could our two main characters hit it off worse? What will happen now that Aiko has found herself in debt to Kyoya himself? Fun kiddie, lots and lots of fun…next chapter will be up maybe tomorrow of the next day.


	3. Passionate Worker

**Chapter 3: Passionate Worker:**

Short chapter here folks, but please enjoy, as it sets up several feelings! Thanks to Sydney, Squid, and Wonderwomanbatmanfan (psst, me too) for reviewing! And at your request Sydney, here is the next chapter!

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><p>"Aiko! Take table five for me, will ya? I'm taking a break."<p>

"Got it!" Cheerfully replied Aiko, wiping the sweat off her brow as she went over to the mentioned table.

"Order up! Table nine!"

"Mine!" Called Aiko, still smiling.

"Could someone clean up this spill here?"

"I WILL!" Shouted Aiko, becoming a bit strained, her eyes becoming glassy in exhasution.

It had been little more than five days since Aiko had nearly been run over by a devil and got a job at the restaurant she had walked into right afterwards. They thankfully hired her on the spot as a full time waitress, though more times than not, Aiko felt her duties were more along the lines of do everything for everyone because they were lazy idiots and she was desperate for cash.

"Wow, you're one hard worker there, Aiko." Said one of her coworkers, an older boyby the name of Takeo. He was particularly useless, but Aiko had done her best to keep her temper to herself about his laziness, which truthfully wasn't all that different from hers. Besides, the boss, who was never far from the cash register, saw how hard she worked, and no doubt that would feed into her paycheck, one way or another.

"Heh, not really." She replied with false modesty.

"You've been here only five days, yet you work harder than anyone else here. You must be saving up for some fancy new cell or something, right?" He asked, going back to cleaning the glass ware behind the bar.

"Yeah, well, the money's not really for me…"

_It's for a devil that I sold my soul to by accident!_ She shouted in her mind, though her happy smile did not waver as she heard her name being called.

"Aiko! Order up!"

"Coming!"

The restaurant, despite having a bar, was more a family-friendly scene. It was decorated in a simple, but elegant café style equipped with lovely wooden furniture with a deck in the back that was surrounded by a lovely little garden. While the employees were immensely annoying to Aiko, her boss was a clear headed woman that she didn't mind working for, and the customers had so far been alright.

There was only one thing really wrong with the place. Make that two.

One, it was called the "Singing Dragon Drunk" and they had to wear aprons that had that printed on it. Most unfortunate.

Two, it had a karaoke machine. And employees could sing for free. He may be just a regular idiot, but when Takeo go behind the microphone, he became a weapon of mass headaches. And besides, the machine, being evil in nature, kept calling Aiko to go over and use it. She knew she shouldn't, but still, it called…

Shaking her head of the demon machine, Aiko went right back to work, more determined than ever. Every day she got better and better at her job, and she was almost coming to enjoy her time spent there. But still, over the hanging gloom of the karaoke machine, hung a gloomier, dark, angrier cloud.

_The pretty boy devil!_

Within her throat, Aiko growled, unintentionally spooking some customers nearby.

To his benefit, the pretty boy didn't bother her when she emerged from the restaurant, hired. It looked like he and his car had left the moment she went in. She was terrified for the next few days however, expecting the cops to show up at her uncle's place and drag her away to face charges, having no doubt in her mind that the spoiled rich boy brat would pull such a stunt. But, he didn't, instead he did as she asked him to.

He sent her the bill, addressed to her, for her to pay.

It…was a lot more than she thought it was going to be. A lot more.

Gripes, all she kicked was a car, not a diamond, though for these prices she might as well have! Hell, by the end of this, she bet that's what that devil would spend it on for himself, a diamond to put on his crown of evil! Evil, evil, EVIL!

…well, he really wasn't all that bad. He didn't call the cops, he didn't press charges, and so far, Haruhi still remained in the dark, so it was safe to assume he had not told her like Aiko asked him to. Again, it really was all her fault, and over time she had developed _some_ guilt over the incident. But right now, working off her stupid debt, loathing over an enemy to be conquered served her far better than a really heavy guilt trip.

She just worked better when she had a clear person to hate. So, until further notice, the pretty boy would remain her personal devil. Just until she was clear of her debt.

Besides, in a way, she was grateful. Because of what happened, she had gotten this job. And long after she had paid the bill she owed, she would continue working there, hoping to contribute to the family. Maybe if she saved enough, she could take them somewhere nice.

"Hey, Aiko!"

Interrupting Aiko's thoughts as she was carrying the last of the dishes to the kitchen, was none other than Haruhi. At the sight of her in her school uniform, one exactly like the pretty boy's, Aiko smiled wearily.

"Hi Haruhi, what are you doing here?" She asked, placing the dishes on a cart marked "Dirty". Haruhi closed the restaurant door behind her, coming over where Aiko was.

"I came to pick you up. Your shift is almost over, right?"

"Yeah. In about thirty seconds." Aiko said as she began untying her apron strings. She had just finished that last of her clean up right then, and was more than happy to be calling it a day. She was going to have dishpan hands for a week!

"Great. Dad has a surprise or something, so he wanted us to get home together."

Aiko growled.

"Oh, god, he's not going to try and cook for us again, is he?"

Haruhi shook her head, following Aiko as she made her way to the restaurant's entrance, grabbing her coat off of a rack.

"I don't think so. I think he rented a movie."

"Oh, good. If I had to eat one more meal of burnt pork and under cooked rice, I swear, I'd end up choking him with that feather boa he keeps in the closet!"

Haruhi chuckled nervously at her cousin's scarily honest comment.

"You've…been in a really lousy mood lately. I mean lousier than normal. Something happen?"

Immediately, the threatening Aiko turned panic stricken, and looked a Haruhi in a barely contained horror.

"N-nothing happened! Why would you say that Haruhi?! Honestly! Nothing has happened at all, nothing, nada! Haha, haha, ha…" She said, her voice tight and she began to rub the back of her head. Haruhi smiled. Aiko always did that whenever she became nervous. Honestly, she always did put up the tough girl act, but really, she was just a mess.

"Sure, whatever you say. I'll just find out the truth sooner or later anyway. You've never been a good liar."

Aiko immediately glared.

"Well,you're a worse one."

Haruhi, knowing she could bring up several points of evidence to the contrary, including what just happened not thirty seconds ago, decided not to. Aiko was not so stubborn to be unable to see reason, but usually, things turned out better when she confessed her true feelings and thoughts over time. Forcing her to do anything on the spot was against her usually lazy nature. Of course, working as hard as she had been this past week was also against her nature. Something big had to be wrong with her to be so worked up. Well, something was, but she would wait till the right moment to ask again.

"See you tomorrow boss!" Waved Aiko to the only person in the restaurant she respected. With a nod, the gray-haired owner bid goodbye.

"Bye Aiko, have a nice day."

The two cousins walked side by side to the bus station that would take them home. Walking together like that, it was clear to strangers that they were related. However, it was clear to everyone, yes, even strangers, that one was clearly more put together than the other.

Haruhi had always been the calm one of the two of them, since they were little. She was the one who could always be counted on to have a cool head. Aiko on the other hand, not so much. When it came to making decisions, she would just go on one of her walks, return hours or days later, and not even remember what she was supposed to be thinking about. But, to Haruhi, that didn't necessarily make her smarter than her cousin, as Aiko was so apt to tell her. They were both smart, in their own way. Haruhi because she was hard working and natural, and Aiko because she, on rare occasions, got eccentrically passionate.

Her job at the restaurant was a perfect example. It went against every lazy bone in her cousin's body to work as hard as that, but again, once she got passionate about something, she could do almost anything, even overcome her habit of sleeping half of her days away. Though, in every case, what got her passionate about a particular something was always different, and so, Haruhi had to wonder, what was making her work so hard now? Again, there was no getting anything out of Aiko until she was ready to tell it in her own, laid back time.

"You looked like you were having fun in there earlier. Do you like working at that place?" Haruhi asked after a while. Aiko shrugged, already yawning.

"Yeah, I guess. It's fine so long as no one frog voiced tries to sing."

"You mean like you?" Haruhi teased, feeling a bit of the twins coming out in her.

At that remark, Aiko frowned in resentment.

"Hey, you're the one that got kicked out of choir for never being on key, not me."

"You mean got kicked out first. Remember, you were banned about a week later."

"Only because the director and I had artistic differences. He saw himself as a visionary, I saw him as a tone deaf idiot."

Haruhi's smile widened at seeing her cousin smirk. It had always been called a devious smirk, and for good reason.

"You call everyone an idiot."

"That's because most people are."

A moment of silence passed, and the two continued to walk together. Soon though, a burning curiosity came over Aiko.

"Hey, speaking of idiots, how's that Host Club of yours anyway?"

Haruhi cringed.

"I really don't want to talk about that right now." Today had been really rough on her. She had read up to fifty dirty manga to Nekozawa-Senpai's little sister. Never before had she ever had the desire to burn books before. Aiko would kill her if she told her that. But…

"Although, today wasn't so bad. We helped a brother and sister find common ground." She said after a moment, bringing about an odd look of her cousin's face.

"Is that what you guys do? I'm still confused about what a Host Club actually is."

The thought of actually explaining the Host Club's activities to Aiko made Haruhi visibly shudder.

"And its better if it stays that way, trust me."

"If it's that bad, why don't you quit? You always were more of a debate club kid anyway."

"Trust me, if I could, I would have by now." Grumbled Haruhi, and at her misery her cousin regained her smirk. That was the thing with that devious smirk of hers, you never knew if it was at your own expense, or because she was thinking of something funny, an inside joke she would never share. Not even with Haruhi.

"But hey, that reminds me…" Suddenly, Haruhi remembered why she really went to get Aiko from work. Something strange happened at the club today, after the Nekozawa incident. Something that might end up explaining her cousin's mood.

Taking a small grocery bag filled with second-hand books out of her satchel, Haruhi handed them over to a shocked Aiko.

"Kyoya-Senpai asked me to give you this. He said you left it behind form before. He also asked me to tell you that he expects to have the bill paid in full by next Tuesday."

Aiko remained completely still. Like an animal trapped in a corner, she didn't move. Haruhi, wondering if she was wrong in carrying out what the vice-president ordered her to, became worried.

"…Aiko, you didn't get into trouble again, did you?" She asked with an uncharacteristic timidity.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"THAT SMUG BASTARD!" Aiko screamed, birds in the distance startled into flight.

Haruhi sighed.

"I knew something was bothering you. You always were a terrible liar…"

**.**

**.**

**.**

_The…devil…the true devil…wore…glasses…_

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><p>I know it wasn't much, but we got more of Aiko's character and her relationship with Haruhi. In the next chapter however, we will get plenty of Kyoya and the Host Club as Aiko stops in for an unexpected visit!<p>

I also am slam dunk in the middle of my college finals. I'm drowning in a see of papers and oral exams. And, I'm going to scream to the internet net to just get a little relief, THEY ARE ALL ON MONDAY. I HAVE SIX CLASSES, INCLUDING TWO LABS, AND ALL MY FINALS FOR ALL OF THEM ARE DUE ON MONDAY.

MAY MANGA HAVE MERCY ON MY SOUL AND ALLOW ME TO SEE ANOTHER TUESDAY...

Okay, that's done. Well, yeah, expect another update by Tuesday at the earliest. After that, I have an entire month off, so updates will continue to be sort of an every other day thing or at the very, very least, every four to five days. So, yeah, happy finals out there for all of you who suffer as I! And a merry winter!


	4. Barnyard of Hosts

**Chapter 4: Barnyard of Hosts:**

Longest chapter yet folks, though I do hope you all enjoy! I wanted to make up for my being absent during finals and this break I took from updating, but ya know, education is important. And please review, I like to know what elements you enjoy, what more you would like to see, and excreta!

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><p>It was yet another afternoon at the Host Club, and all was going according to plan. The refreshments were tasteful, the tea sets arranged, and the guest bookings were filled to the brim for each Host Club member.<p>

All in all, it was the same as it ever was, thanks to the clever work of the club's vice-president, Kyoya.

"Please come this way, ladies. Your time with Tamaki will be starting in just a moment."

"Thank you Kyoya-sempi!" Gushed a group of young, blushing girls in yellow dresses. One of them stepped forward, she a particular shade of red.

"It was so clever of you all to dress up as animals today! How did you come up with such a brilliant idea?"

Kyoya smiled, his charming façade virtually undetectable.

"It was simple ladies." He turned, making a sweeping gesture to the scattered Host Club members. "You see, there are many legends that tell of each person being born with a spirit animal within them. The spirit can be gentle, or wild. Once that animal is awakened, the person becomes one with nature, and one with their true desires. So be careful ladies, you never know what a beast may do once they have found their desire…"

At the end of his speech, the girls were wriggling in excitement, their eyes focused on Tamaki, who was with a guest. He of course, wore the costume of a white lion. He even had a small crown while the white cape he wore was bordered with fur at the neck, his mane if you will. Kyoya really did not know where Tamaki got his ideas sometimes, but this one, as crazy as it seemed, turned out to be working quite well, they having fitted the members to their so called "animal spirits" to the letter.

Honey, an adorable pink rabbit.

Takashi, the brown bear.

Hikaru and Kaoru, red foxes.

Haruhi, a blue swan.

And of course, Kyoya. The black wolf.

Though the tail kept getting caught between his legs every time he walked and the wolf ears were a bit uncomfortable on top of his head, Kyoya kept up his charming pretense, happily greeting guests and marking quite the profit off of the "Petting Zoo Host Club" limited edition photo collection he had printed last night.

Everything was going smoothly. Successful even, they might just hit a new record.

_Perhaps we shall repeat this kind of theme again, since it seems so popular with the ladies. Perhaps more along the lines of-_

Without any warning, the doors to the music room opened, and in stepped a figure.

"What the hell is this?"

The crowd within the music room halted in their individual conversations to turn over to the main doors, watching with wide, confused eyes as a figure stepped into the room, arms swinging wildly to get the always falling petals away from them. There always was an unlimited supply of them that would rain lightly upon the guests whenever the doors were opened, but it seemed like this guest did not appreciate the complexity of it.

"Why are there so many damn rose petals? Can someone explain that to me? It seems like a waste."

Haruhi was the first to react.

"Aiko? What are you doing here?"

**.**

**.**

**.**

Akio Fujioka. Age, seventeen. Height, five foot and nine inches. Hair, dark brown .Eyes, dark brown. Physical features, distinctively attractive. No important connections to any one of power or high standing. High school dropout as of six months ago. Grades were average while attending. Family relations, outside of Haruhi and her father, unsavory to say the least.

In other words, useless and of no consequence to someone like Kyoya.

Until his driver nearly ran her over and she began to assault his father's vehicle.

To say that Kyoya was surprised to see that it was Haruhi's cousin that had scuffed the car in a temper tantrum was one way of putting it. He had nearly forgotten about her after their initial meeting a month ago.

She was only of consequence then because of her familial situation that had forced her to move in with Haruhi and her father. At first, Kyoya thought that trouble could arise, given this Aiko character's background and immediate family he had learned about, but as time went on, and Haruhi continued to perform her hosting duties untroubled, Kyoya put the girl out of his mind.

Again, until she started to rage against his father's Mercedes.

He really had no time to deal with such. Classes had finished for the day, and Kyoya was eager to get home and rest up for the next day. They had a large Host event planned, and he knew it was going to give him a headache. Little did he know that headache would come prematurely.

Since she was of no consequence to him, he didn't bother with his usual charm during their altercation. Besides, she had quite irritated him with her foolish actions. She tried to make it sound like it was their fault for nearly running into her and told them to fix the damage she had done, where she was the one foolishly walking out into the middle of the road.

Even with her close ties to Haruhi, he was more than willing to bring the authorities into their little scuffle, he had gotten that irritated. Aiko and her family were well acquainted with them anyway, and he would make sure the event would not bother Haruhi. If that happened, Tamaki and the twins would never let him hear the end of it. But not every commoner could be made an exception.

Then, something happened. In a way, the girl had managed to surprise him. In a matter of seconds, her temper had calmed itself, and her expression became like that he had seen her wear when they first met, when she left for her walk. She was calm, poised, and if it wasn't for her smirk at the end, he would say she almost looked bored. In that moment, Kyoya found himself unable to read her. It had been child's play when she was being temperamental, but…

_"__I never make promises I don't intend to keep."_

She said that before, when the Host club came to the Fujioka house, only then it had been a tease. And without a word, he let her walk away. He did as she asked and sent the bill to her, even though he doubted she would ever be able to pay it.

And honestly, he had no idea why he did it at first.

Boredom perhaps. Or maybe, curiosity. She spoke with such honest conviction, even though the glaze in her eyes shouted at a more devious nature. In that moment, if Kyoya had to guess her animal spirit, he would say…lazy chocolate housecat. A creature that loved swatting at mice but never would manage to catch one due to its nature for failure.

She would never be able to get the money she owed him. Not in the time she had said. By having compared their backgrounds, he knew Aiko to be the opposite of Haruhi, who despite her circumstances managed to accomplish much.

But still, he wondered, if scrambling around trying to succeed when one had nothing to work with besides their natural talent and maybe a little be bit of luck was a commoner trait, or a distinct quality of the Fujiokas? Perhaps she too, along with Haruhi, might just manage to surprise him.

It was an interesting notion, in its own way. And so, he had decided to entertain it.

**.**

**.**

**.**

On a scale of one to ten, Kyoya would say even he couldn't count high enough to express his surprise at seeing Aiko standing at the entrance of the music room, smirking. Of course, it hardly showed, his glasses reflecting away any insight to his expression, which righted itself to its cool mask after a matter of seconds.

_This can only mean one thing…trouble. Of which I have no tolerance for today. _

"Aiko? What are you doing here?" Asked Haruhi as she stood up from the table she had been sharing with her guests.

Dressed in a dark hoodie, a low cut tank top, ripped shorts, thigh socks, and those same damn, clunky boots that had scuffed the car, the unwelcomed commoner girl strode into the music room, dark chocolate eyes taking everything in curiously. All eyes were trained on her, but she seemed to be oblivious to it. Kyoya especially was giving her a rather hard glare, and his mind quickly rushed for possible solutions to handling this without wasting too much effort or time to get the unwelcomed to leave. How did she even get inside the school in the first place?

"Wow. This place is nice. I'm really impressed Haruhi, this is a really nice school."

"What do you think you're doing here, Aiko?" Haruhi repeated herself, coming to stand before her cousin. Aiko paused in her glancing around, focusing on Haruhi. Her expression was unreadable for a moment, but then, her eyes became as wide as tea cup saucers.

"What do_ you_ think you're wearing Haruhi? You look like a stuffed chicken."

Haruhi frowned, becoming annoyed now. She hid her hands behind her, trying to hide the wings that were attached to her back.

"I'm supposed to be a swan." She said with some shame. She never had been one to get into the themes of the Host Club. And the wings were pretty ridiculous.

"Is this what you're spending your time doing? I thought you wanted to be a lawyer, not poultry." Said Aiko, smirking once again.

"It's for the club. I know it looks silly, believe me, but –"

"Um, excuse me? Pardon the intrusion." It was Tamaki. The commotion hardly went unnoticed by the king, and it seems he was wanting to straighten things out. Kyoya came to stand beside him as the president continued, giving the girl a pleasant grin. "But, would you mind giving us your name, lovely princess? And telling us how you know our dear Haruhi?"

Aiko stared at him blankly for a minute, but then, cynical disbelief took a hold of expression.

"What? Are you really so thick you don't remember me? I'm Haruhi's cousin. Aiko Fujioka. I gave you a nose bleed. Well, almost a nose bleed. By the way, what's with the mane?"

"WHA?!" Shouted everyone in the room after a moment, though more at the news of her being Haruhi's relative than Tamaki's assault. In an instant, the guests surrounded the center stage of this telling drama, all eager and nervous to hear more.

"Haruhi has a cousin?! What, how, I…what?!" Exclaimed Tamaki, his face white with a mental break down.

"Don't you remember boss?" Said Kaoru, coming up on the king's left.

"When we first visited Haruhi's house?" Said Hikaru, coming up on the king's right.

"She's the Haruhi twin doll!" They both then said together, simultaneously pointing at Aiko.

The guests as well as Tamaki examined the evidence of what the twins had just said. They were right, the strange girl did look a _lot_ like Haruhi. Different, but a lot alike. Course, it could be because they were both now scowling, and that made them look nearly identical.

Finally, Tamaki's memory had returned to him.

"Of course, large sized Haruhi! How could I be so blind! Large Haruhi, please forgive me ignorance!" He said while placing a dramatic hand on his forehead. Kyoya inwardly groaned.

_That idiot. _

Aiko flinched, insulted.

"…large sized?"

Kyoya saw this as his time to speak. They were already wasting too much time on this insignificance. The ladies were already beginning to whisper, leaping to conclusions and wondering what this strange commoner girl possibly had in common with their Haruhi, besides looks.

Soon, they just might conclude that they did not like her rough nature, or how she was being too familiar with their Haruhi. Then the real trouble would begin.

"Excuse me, Aiko-san," He began politely, "did you have a purpose in coming to the club today? I take it there must be a very important reason for you to trespass on private school grounds."

That part still boggled him. There was only one entrance into the grounds of Ouran Academy, and it was monitored. No one was permitted unless they are a student, employee, or guest. She was none of those. She must have snuck in. In that case, a call to security would normally be in order, but it would not do to cause any more of a scene as this already was.

Aiko merely looked at him. Once again, she reminded him of a lazy housecat, with a plastered on bored expression that could not be read. Soon enough, she began to step towards him, maintaining eye contact. She looked quite serious, but also, studious. Kyoya did not like the look.

When she was but three steps away, the whole room was filled with a tense anticipation for what was going to happen next.

Slowly, carefully, Aiko pulled something out of her pocket.

"Here is the debt I owe you, pretty boy. Every cent. Paid on time, a week from the incident, on Tuesday." She said, holding a stuffed envelope in her hands. Leaning forward, she placed it in the beast pocket of his jacket, patting it when it was secured. The contact made Kyoya tense.

Her actions had a shockwave effect on the rest of the company, Host member and guest alike.

Kyoya merely sighed in frustration. So, this was the reason for her coming here. He really regretted not calling the authorities on her when he had the chance.

_Perhaps it wasn't too late to call in school security after all._

"I see. You could have mailed this you know." He told her, still managing to keep a hold of his charming disguise. Aiko nodded.

"I know. I wanted to deliver it in person."

Well, that was a little surprising. Honor amongst commoners he assumed. The serious expression on Aiko changed then, and she became nervous all of the sudden. Her emotions flittered faster than the pages of an open book caught in the wind. Rubbing the back of her head, she suddenly looked away from him.

"I…I also wanted to apol…apolo…"

Back with the other Host Club members, who by now had all gathered to watch the strange scene, Haruhi blinked in surprise.

"Wow. Aiko must be feeling really guilty about this."

"What do you mean? Guilty about what?" Asked Kaoru as he boredly played with his fox tail. Haruhi turned to explain to him.

"The last time she apologized, it was for accidentally setting her dad's car on fire. And that was twelve years ago."

"Whoa, hard core punk." Said Hikaru, looking at the girl in a new light. Tamaki could be seen visibly shivering now, and Honey-Senpai came up to tug at Haruhi's sleeve worriedly.

"Haru-chan? Is Ai-chan really a punk? But she looks so cute, like you."

"She's not a punk. Like I said, it was an accident. Unlike what she did to Kyoya's car." Explained Haruhi, she the only other one to be fully enlightened about the situation. Still, her cousin coming here was only going to cause her trouble, both with the other host members and the guests later, but more especially Kyoya. No doubt he would take this halt in club activities out on her.

"What did she do to Kyoya's ca–"

"I wanted to apologize! There, damn it, I said it!" Shouted Aiko, forcing herself to give a polite bow at the end. She looked like she wanted to wash out her mouth, but she held the meek position for a while until Kyoya spoke, somehow smiling still.

"There really was no need for you to come all this way. Really." His reflecting glasses made his irritation unseen, but his tone was a little more harsh than usual for this guise as he pointed to the ring of yellow dresses that surrounded them. "You have interrupted our guests' time here."

"Guests? I thought this was a club?" Aiko asked, looking up from her bent position.

"It is. It's a Host Club."

"Well, what exactly does a Host Club do?" She asked as she stood up straight, her expression thoroughly perplexed. The other members, now too curious to be keeping themselves at a distance, came closer.

"You didn't tell her Haruhi?" Asked Hikaru as the other club members stared at her. She sighed in frustration.

"It's not like I go bragging about this you know. Especially to Aiko. She wouldn't be able to understand, being a sane person and all." Haruhi muttered the last bit to herself, though no one paid her any mind.

"Allow me to help her then." Suddenly announced Tamaki. It seems he had shed his momentary fear of Aiko away, and boldly came to stand beside Kyoya once more, bringing Aiko's curious attention onto him. The king opened his arms in a dramatic gesture to begin.

"Here at the Host Club is where the handsomest boys with too much time on their hands, entertain ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran Academy's playground for the superrich and beautiful, large sized Haruhi!"

At the conclusion of his speech, Tamaki had poised himself like he was reaching for the sky, a fitting slimily he thought to what he had just described. Aiko however, only looked more confused and now a little worried.

"Wait, entertain?" Slowly, she turned to face her cousin.

"Haruhi, are these guys pimping you out?"

There was a long pause. The room went tense. The cultured young ladies could not distinguish just what such a phrase meant, but they could tell they should be offended to hear it. The Host Club members understood the phrase, but could not believe they had just heard. Kaoru, Hikaru, and Tamaki were the only ones to speak after a while.

"Pimp…"

"…ing…"

"…out?"

"I told you she wouldn't be able to understand." Sighed Haruhi as her cousin came to stand by her.

"Haruhi, what have these guys made you do?"

"Nothing!" Finally screamed Tamaki, shocking the whole room back to life. "Our Haruhi is the epitome of innocence! We would never let anyone lay a finger on Haruhi, daddy would never allow it! Tamaki loves his child very much! How dare you make such an assumption of daddy's love for his little Haaarrruuuhhhiii!"

At this, he was hugging said "daughter", tears of indignity streaming down his eyes, as if Aiko had been questioning his love for her. This however only managed to make things worse, and Aiko started to tense.

"D-daddy? You call yourself her _daddy_?" She whispered, looking horrified. From his position beside them, Kyoya sighed once more. Thanks to Tamaki's over reaction and frankly eerie explanation, Aiko looked ready to wrestle Haruhi away from the man she could not be blamed for labeling as a pervert. Thankfully, Haruhi came to everyone's rescue as she got herself out of Tamaki's grip, and placed a soothing hand on her cousin's shoulder while the twins dragged the unhelpful king away to a corner for the time being.

"Look, Aiko. It may sound weird, but this is still a school club. The most I do is serve tea and talk to the guests. Sometimes, we wear costumes, like today. It's really harmless. Sometimes."

"Really?"

The two of them stared for some while. There seemed to be some hidden communication between the two, something to be read between the lines. It only made since, the two have been very close since childhood. Which could present another problem that Kyoya would have to deal with. Aiko knew Haruhi's true gender. It was only a matter of time till she referred to Haruhi by the wrong prefix…

"Really." Assured Haruhi. Once more, Aiko's expression changed rapidly, this time to another smirk.

"Well, I guess in that case…" She walked away from her cousin, making towards the nearest, empty couch. After sitting herself down with an ungraceful flop, she waved at Haruhi to come over.

"How about some tea for me Haruhi? I've been working all day and I'm bushed."

Once more, Aiko managed to rile the poor ladies of Ouran Academy.

"S-she requested Haruhi?! Her own cousin?!" Shouted a conglomerate of guests. This most definitely did not count as moe! Well, maybe if Aiko was a boy…but no! This was not moe! It was not cute at all!

Kyoya could see the turning tide that was their guests' affections. He needed to act quickly and get this situation under control now, or else, they definitely would not make any more profit for the day. The ladies of Ouran were delighted to have more male admirers for their Hosts, and they tolerated one another, but to have an outside lady come in and take any attention away from the club members, well, Kyoya did not want to clean up such a mess.

"I'm sorry, but refreshments are reserved only for our guests. More to the point, you are not a student at this school, which means –"

"Wait, working? How old are you?" Asked Hikaru as he suddenly reappeared, interrupting Kyoya as he and the other Host members made their way closer to the reclining Aiko.

"Seventeen. I got a full time job at a restaurant downtown." She explained, watching Haruhi as she came to sit beside her, not bothering to get Aiko some tea, which made her frown.

"Do commoners usually start working so young?" Asked Kaoru, he now interested like his brother. Aiko looked at them in confusion.

"What do you mean? I had other jobs before this one. So did Haruhi. We worked at a flower shop, a book store, and a grocery together before we ever went to high school."

"Really? Is that true Haru-chan?" Asked Honey, a sad look coming over his face. Mori, who was by his side, glanced down at his friend, expressionless. The girl only shrugged.

"Yeah, during our summer breaks. Aiko would always come and stay at my house once our school finished and we'd find jobs together, to help pay for next year's uniforms and books."

From the other side of the room leaped in Tamaki, who was absolutely devastated by this news. His poor Haruhi, having to work her childhood away like some slave due to her poorness!

"That sounds so terrible! You poor thing Haruhi!"

His sudden presence made Aiko jump in surprise, but Haruhi shrugged off his pity.

"It wasn't that bad. It could be hard sometimes, but we had lots of fun together while we worked." She paused for a second, then smiled off into the distance. "I liked working hard. It made me feel good to do something meaningful with my time."

From her position on the couch, Aiko could hear several girls sigh in a dreamy fashion. She peaked over the couch to see a line of girls fainting at hearing Haruhi's words. No doubt the sight was strange to her, and she turned instantly around, a little nervous. It was clear all this was still foreign to her, and Kyoya hoped that it would hasten her departure. Her nervousness did increase sooner than he expected though, as a fawning Tamaki came to kneel in front of her and Haruhi.

"The solidarity of a commoner family brings tears to my princely eyes! Though poor, this family strives to uphold such dignity in working with their hands!"

At this, he grabbed said hands of the two commoner girls to hold them up high in a delicate fashion, as if he wanted everyone to admire them.

"These hands, so strong and yet so soft. These are the hands of family love! It makes daddy so proud that Haruhi has such a wonderful-UGH?!"

With a small amount of flexibility, Aiko had maneuvered her one of her heavy set boots to collide quite precisely with Tamaki's face, she digging the heel of her foot into it to leave red impressions.

"Don't touch us pervert, you're shedding fur all over me and Haruhi." With that she straightened out her leg, causing the kneeling Tamaki to be thrown back. Instantly he was on his feet again, white puffs of steam coming out of his ears and a distinct shoe mark embedded across his face.

"H-how could you?! Large sized Haruhi, how can you be so cruel?!"

"For the last time, I'm not like Haruhi. I'm Aiko." She groaned, and behind her the twins nodded their heads.

"That's for sure. You're really a bit of a punk, aren't you? Picking on the boss like that, not that he didn't deserve it…"

Interestingly enough, Aiko flinched at their comment. A look of hurt momentarily crossed her face, but she shook it off as she started to stand, seemingly annoyed and hiding it poorly. Kyoya took note of this as he went to follow her as she began to make her way towards the doors. The twins then looked to Haruhi, their attention always fleeting, who had been watching her cousin with concern.

"Wait, did you say "our school" before?" They asked. She nodded without looking away from the retreating form of Aiko.

"That's right. Aiko and I went to the same middle school together."

The twins smirked.

"It makes sense now. Why you didn't grow up to be more girly."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Haruhi asked, a bit irritated at them. They shrugged.

"It means what it means."

"Aiko-san, are you going now?" Kyoya asked politely when he had caught up with the girl just as she was about to open the door to leave. She stopped to look at him, expression a blank slate once again.

"Yeah, I changed my mind about the tea. It's too…strange here. Even for me."

He smiled.

"Then before you go, I would like to remind you that you have trespassed onto _private_ school grounds, and while we can forgive your ignorance this time, if such is repeated again, for the sake of–"

"Thanks for returning my books pretty boy."

Kyoya paused for a moment after Aiko's interruption. Her books? Oh, yes, he had Haruhi return those to her. Odd that he had picked them up when she left them behind. But it would have been a shame to leave such a well kept edition of Leo Tolstoy's in the street. Rather classical taste for a high school dropout however.

"Please do not return to school ground unless you have been officially invited by one of students who has been granted permission to have you here. There are rules that need to be followed. And even if you get such permission, by not being an official student of Ouran Academy, you cannot partake in any club activities, and that includes the Host Club."

At the end of his speech, which was intended to serve as a warning against repeating her foolish actions, Aiko only yawned. Such idiocy to not heed what she was being told reminded Kyoya all too much of the president of the club. But as she suddenly looked up, Aiko's now sleepy eyes spotted something. A smirk grew, deviously playful one.

"Nice ears."

Kyoya did not allow any emotion come to pass. He could understand it now. Her unreadable expression, it was nothing new, just merely different.

It was her mocking face.

Walking to the set of doors that led into the music room, he opened one for her.

"Please leave at your earliest convenience." He said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Or what, you'll huff and you'll puff?"

"Precisely."

The smirk grew wider. Turning to give Haruhi a wave, which the other girl returned before her attention was monopolized by the twins again, Aiko then strode out.

"Don't worry, now that I am no longer in debt to the devil this is goodbye forever, pretty boy."

Watching her walk away, Kyoya found himself certainly hoping so.


	5. Photographs and Police Part One

**Chapter 5: Photographs and Police; Part One:**

**I would also like to point out that Haruhi is sixteen like she is in the manga rather than fifteen in the anime. That way, her and Aiko are only a year apart. Just making things clear. **

**This chapter is the first of a two parter, and you all know what that means, brace yourselves for a cliff hanger!**

**Also, sorry, this chapter kinds of bounces around a lot in perspectives. I'll tone it down in the future, and will tell you now that it will typically be Kyoya's, Haruhi's, or Aiko's perspectives. Please enjoy! (Also, sorry for taking so long to update, but yeah, stopping reading this and get to reading the chapter!)**

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><p>"Hey Haruhi, have you studied for that math test yet?" Asked Hikaru, he and his brother coming up to where Haruhi was standing. The Host Club was done entertaining guests for the day, and all were preparing to wrap things up.<p>

"Of course." Said Haruhi, her thoughts about what to cook for dinner having been interrupted. The twins then smiled.

"Good, then that means your free tonight, right?"

"No, I have chores to do." She stated blankly. Truthfully, there actually wasn't that much for her to do, but she wanted to go to the restaurant Aiko worked at to see her. After Aiko came to the Host Club two weeks ago, Haruhi had not seen much of her, as her boss had her working evening and night shifts.

"Aw, but we wanted to hang out." Sighed the twins. They did not really expect her to agree, but they liked to try their luck anyway. Besides, every time they brought something like this up, there was always a predictable reaction from-

"You devils keep away from Haruhi! If she says she's busy, then she's busy!" Tamaki sternly said to the twins, coming in between them and Haruhi. Kaoru tilted his head to one side curiously, their game beginning.

"That means she has no time for you either boss."

The look on Tamaki's face was, in a wood, devastated. With a whimpering upper lip, Tamaki turned to said commoner behind him.

"What? Haruhi, is this true? Are you too busy to even be with your daddy?"

"Honey-Senpai, it must be nice to have sweets again, right?" Asked Haruhi, who was already on the other side of the room with Mitsukuni and Takashi. Tamaki crashed down to the ground in utter defeat while the twins looked at his crushed body boredly.

_She completely ignored him. Harsh. _

"Yup! It's all so yummy and my tooth doesn't hurt anymore!" Mitsukuni replied to Haruhi in full cheer, his brown eyes wide with happiness. He lifted a plated slice to her, dancing with it above his head.

"Do you want to share some with me, Haru-chan?" He asked so sweetly that Haruhi could not resist. Besides, it had strawberries on it, and it looked really good.

"M-maybe just a little…" She replied, taking the plate gently. It looked really, really, _really_ good. She was glad that sweets were back on the menu again, but more for just then her able to enjoy them. Honey-Senpai had only just recovered from his toothache, and with that the tension between him and Mori-Senpai. When that little scuffle happened, Haruhi worried for the silent Mori's life for a moment. But, she should have figured that those two would work things out, and with the help of Tamaki no less. That had been a surprise, but she supposed Tamaki could be very kind and thoughtful sometimes…

"I'm really glad that your tooth healed Honey-Senpai." She said to distract from where her thoughts were taking her.

"Yeah, you can say that again." Agreed the twins, coming over to the table where Haruhi and the third-year Host members were seated. "I thought for sure that Honey-Senpai was going to bite us all, like he had Tamaki. By the way, how's that healing boss?" Finished Hikaru, glancing back to their left behind king.

"It's not…" He wept, suddenly cradling said bitten arm.

Suddenly appearing beside all of them, as if he had slipped out of the shadows, was Kyoya, and by the strictness of his face, even Tamaki could tell he was not in the best of moods.

"If you all could focus your attentions for just one moment, then perhaps we can get to our after club meeting? There are several new events we need to discuss." He said with a stern, cold voice.

The Shadow Kings mask had momentarily slipped to his true unpleasant disposition to the Host Club members this day, but it was understandable though. After all, he was in charge of finances, and now that Honey could have sweets again, well, his mood had noticeably declined the day Honey was cleared, and he seemed somewhat depressed to the other members. They snapped to obey, and soon all of them were seated at a long table by one of the many windows, the afternoon sun alighting the room for them.

"First issue to discuss, we are needing new themes. I would like to order the costumes today, so, Tamaki, any new ideas?" Kyoya began, and the king put a hand to his chin in thought.

"Hmm…got it! We'll be roguishly handsome pirates, come to steal the hearts of beautiful princesses!"

There was silence for a moment, and then Kyoya turned away from Tamaki.

"Anyone else?"

Tamaki twitched at his being ignored, but the twins immediately perked up, raising their hands.

"How about something like a maid café? Like what the commoners have. Our driver took us past one and they looked to be quite popular." Spoke Hikaru.

Kyoya looked like he was going to question them further about what they had stated, when Haruhi, who was sitting beside him, looked at the twins in confusion.

"Don't you mean butler café, Hikaru? For the Host Club I mean."

"No, maid." Suddenly, the twins were behind her, and in a flash of black and white, there was a dress dangling in front of her. It was a maid outfit.

From beside her, Kyoya sighed. He should have known better than to trust the twins to come up with anything productive. He began to type at the laptop before him, knowing that nothing was going to get done by asking the others. Though, this butler thing Haruhi spoke of did hold some merit.

"No way." Haruhi said with stern malice for the lacy atrocity that was before her. From either side of her chair, the twins sighed in frustration.

"Come on Haruhi, it would be real cute. We even have a feather duster."

"I said no." In another flash of orange hair and smirks, the twins had disappeared to the other side of the table, right next to Tamaki, the true victim of this game. They had not teased the king with his odd obsession with dressing up Haruhi for a while, so this was a perfect opportunity. Of course, they too would love to see Haruhi in one of their mother's outfits one day, but they knew better than to hope for her to ever agree willingly to do so.

"Boss, don't you want to see Haruhi as a pretty maid?" They said, now dangling the dress in front of him. The boss went red, no doubt going into fantasy mode.

"I…I…"

"Moving on, we've had to make adjustments to the budget to prepare for our next big event, the Summer Night's Gala that is held before the beginning of summer vacation." Interjected Kyoya firmly, bringing everyone's attention back onto him.

Normally he was tolerant of the twins' pranks and at times encouraged them, but today, not only was he still upset with Honey getting over his toothache, he also wanted to get this meeting over with as soon as possible.

His father had said he wanted to discuss something with him and his brothers tonight during dinner, and Kyoya had a strong suspicion as to what it might be about, and he wanted to prepare should such be the case.

_Though of course, I hardly see what he could possibly want from me. Perhaps he wishes to test me yet again, as if anything would ever be enough proof for him…_

"The Summer Night's Gala? What is that?" Asked Haruhi, and after they had sat themselves back down, the maid dress having suddenly disappeared, the twins answered her.

"It's the last event the school throws before summer vacation. It's a bit of a reward after all the hard work before the real fun starts. Usually the planners are random volunteers, but it seems this year Kyoya managed to monopolize it for the Host Club."

"Yes, this event will certainly be beneficial to the club's finances and publicity, as the event is a charity event as well." Agreed Kyoya as he began pulling up the files he already had on past budgets for the party for reference.

"Oh, what kind of charity?" Asked Haruhi. This was the first time she could remember the Club doing anything for charity.

"Why, for your kind of course." Bluntly stated Kyoya, and Haruhi glared.

"Just what's that supposed to mean?" Growled Haruhi under her breath. Kyoya was certainly in a mood today.

"Anyways, the theme for the event last year was "Paradise", which seemed to go over well with the students. We need something far better if we hope to make the event a success. Any suggestions?" Asked Kyoya, hoping that this time around someone might come up with something better. Tamaki perked up.

"Well, how about–"

"How about "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare?" Spoke Haruhi.

All turned to look at har in great shock. She never contributed to the meetings outside of asking questions, but creative planning? Never. She was not an imaginative heroine. So the slight shock of the Host Club was understandable. It was Kyoya who spoke first.

"That…may work." He said in actual honesty. If there ever was an idea to merit consideration, this was it. His mood suddenly shifted as his mind began scheming and planning. Yes, this idea had much merit indeed, and if he planned and manipulated it just right, the night could be more than a success, but an achievement for the Host Club.

"May work? It's brilliant! Haruhi is so clever, just like her daddy!" Proclaimed Tamaki, visions of fairies and kings dancing through his head.

"Don't insult me Senpai." Haruhi huffed. Honestly she didn't think that they would actually listen to her. The only reason she blurted that out was because she had tripped over her cousin's collection of books that had been slowly building higher these the weeks she had been with them. The one that had hit her head happened to be the same Shakespeare play, and it had just happen to come into her mind. Still, maybe if they could pull this off, perhaps Kyoya might be willing to lower her debt some? It was worth trying.

"It is only a suggestion. We will wait to see if something can be arranged with it." Said Kyoya, dashing her hopes. Still, she could see him typing at his laptop with a new vigor than before, a sign of his lifted mood.

"How about we dress up boss?" Suddenly suggested the twins. Tamaki looked at them like they were dunces.

"Well, of course we will."

It was time for round two of their game today, and the Hitachiin twins had just the thing.

"Great, then Haruhi can wear this. She could be the fairy queen~"

From behind their backs, the two devils pulled out a sheer dress of delicate pink that was slit up the sides in a very suggestive manner. It was practically see-through, and had light, delicate wings attached to the back, resembling a fairy's.

"Where do you guys keep getting these costumes?!" Shouted Haruhi, who was both angry and confused by their ability to make outfits appear out of thin air.

"What do you think boss?" Asked the twins, and Tamaki was turning a darker shade of red than ever before.

"It's…it's…" He began stuttering, and Haruhi prepared her poor hears to be assailed by some perverted nonsense.

"It's not what a young lady should wear in public. You two should be ashamed to want to dress up Haruhi like that!"

The twins and Haruhi looked at their king in surprise, and even Kyoya glanced up briefly. Haruhi's expression softened itself, and she almost smiled as she spoke.

"Wow Senpai, that's actually very–"

"Besides, daddy would much prefer to see his sweet Haruhi dressed up in something like this!"

The king stood up, and pulled something out of his pocket the then slam it on top of the table with such force that poor Honey almost fell of his chair. With a dramatic flair, he removed his hand, revealing a small photograph. Unable to help her interest, Haruhi leaned slightly forward.

It was a picture of, what else, her. At least she thought it was at first, but then she became unsure. It depicted a young girl in a white dress walking away from the camera, though had last minute turned back to look at whoever was taking it. With a bit of a shock, Haruhi finally recognized the girl in the picture.

"Daddy wants to see his Haruhi like this again! You used to be so cute!" Continued on the king, hugging himself at the thought of her wearing dresses for once like a girl. But with a look of confusion, Haruhi caught his attention.

"Senpai, that's not me."

"Wha?"

"That's Aiko back in middle school."

The king and the twins, who were nearby and still holding up that ridiculous dress, leaned to look over the picture once more. Kyoya had stopped in his typing as well, and glanced over what proceeded next.

The girl in the photograph looked exactly like Haruhi. So, it had to be her. Kyoya had received these from Ranka himself. There could be no mistake, certainly none made by him.

_Though, her eyes…they are like dark, bitter chocolate…_

Immediately Kyoya knew what Haruhi said to be true, and the slight lift in mood from his new schemes for the upcoming Gala had diminished greatly. To make any mistake, however slight, was against the very nature of the Ootori family, him especially. True, the error had occurred before he had even met Haruhi's cousin, but still, such slip ups like this would be a wreck should something similar happen tonight at dinner with his father. Still, this was insignificant. He had only given Tamaki the picture in the first place to shut him up one day when he was being particularly annoying. It served him right to receive a fake.

"But, the hair…" Protested Tamaki pitifully, pointing out that the girl had the exact same haircut Haruhi had before she came to high school. She shrugged.

"Aiko cut her hair first like that before I did. I guess my dad must have accidentally given you one of Aiko's pictures." This she spoke to Kyoya, knowing that of course he was the supplier. No one else would be clever or evil enough to use pictures of her as bait to manipulate the others. It scared her to think what this one had done for him, though it creeped her out even more that Tamaki was carrying it on his person.

"Actually," She continued after a moment of thought "who's to say that my dad sent only one by mistake? He never really was any good at organizing things, and I guess we did look sort of the same back then."

There was a flurry of movement and emptying of pockets from the twins and Tamaki. To her shock, the table was soon covered in pictures all over the table. With panic, the three shouted at her in desperation as they all threw photos at her to look at.

"This one, what about this one?!"

"No, this one, please tell me that is you Haruhi!"

"Please, this one has to be of you! It's just too cute not to be!"

"Why should I tell you which one is which?! It's wrong that you guys have so many pictures of us in the first place!" She yelled at them, becoming angry. Honestly, what was wrong with them? First the dresses and now this. She prayed to one day witness a dull moment again.

Wanting no part in this new commotion, Kyoya had gone back to his typing, making a mental note to organize the pictures at a later date. He was just getting back to his researching for the Gala, when a photo landed on his keyboard, halting his process. He picked it up and was about to toss it aside, when Haruhi noticed it.

"Hey. I remember that one." She said, surprised to see it. Though it could have been mistaken for her, Haruhi knew it was one of Aiko. It showed one their old middle school talent shows, and Aiko holding a microphone on a stage, singing. It was not long after that had been taken that Aiko graduated and went off to high school, and they had begun to see less of one another.

Tamaki came over behind Kyoya and noticed that he was holding one of his collected pictures, and pointed at it with vigor.

"It's you, right? Right? Please tell daddy that's his little, sweet Haruhi!"

To his eternal disappointment, Haruhi shook her head.

"No, I wasn't very good at music, but Aiko was really was."

"Huh? Music? Really?"

"She loved singing. She had been taking lessons since she was four." Explained Haruhi, and this earned her a glance from Kyoya, who was still holding onto the photo. He was about to put it down, when the twins came in close, inspecting the picture curiously.

"Who'd would have thought…" Began Hikaru.

"…that a punk like her could sing?" Ended Kaoru.

Haruhi's expression became stern at their words.

"Aiko's not a punk."

"Could have fooled us."

Haruhi was about to say something, becoming angry again, when she was interrupted by the last person she would have expected to be.

Mori.

"There is a police vehicle outside."

All turned, and saw the friendly giant looking out of the window the table was by. He was watching something happening on the ground below. How he even moved from the table without being noticed by the others was strange, but what he said was stranger.

"What did you say Mori-Senpai?" Asked Tamaki. A police car? Here, what could that possibly mean-

"Aiko is there too." Went on Mori.

All turned at the sound of a chair being pushed back harshly and falling to the ground, and the Host Club watched as Haruhi ran towards the exist. Tamaki was the first to follow her, but eventually, the Host Club chased after her, concerned for what was going on.

Aiko? The Police? What was happening? Kyoya knew that whatever it was, it would be far from good.

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><p><strong>Uh-oh. What does this mean? Why is Aiko with a cop at school? Why are both Aiko and Haruhi offended by the word "punk" so much? What does Kyoya's father have to say to him and his brothers at dinner, and just what is this Summer Gala and how will it stir up even more trouble for the host club? <strong>

**Why are you asking me all these questions? I don't know. I make this up as I go along. Seriously. ****_Which reminds me, you guys can make requests for some plot points or activities for the Host Club and Aiko to do in the future._**** I do follow the anime, but I like making up my own filler, and am free to others' ideas. So come on, help me make their lives miserable with adventure!**


	6. Photographs and Police Part Two

**Chapter 6: Photographs and Police Part Two:**

**Aren't you all so glad that I updated this quick so you guys wouldn't be left in the dark? No, well, you should be. Have fun guys and I'll see you at the end of the chapter!**

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><p>It had been a fine, normal day for Aiko. All was well. Her job was going excellently, what with her boss letting her get behind the bar counter and earn tips by making drinks in her spare time. With the amount of money she had been making lately, she just might be able to afford a place of her own to stay and start paying back her uncle for all he had done for her. Aiko also had just finished an invigorating book, was able to get some laundry done and, to her great joy, Haruhi had promised to make spicy curry with extra emphasis on the spicy, which was Aiko's favorite.<p>

And then he showed up. Right there, in the restaurant of all places.

"So, how have you been Aiko?" Asked Officer Shiro of Aiko, the two of them leaning against his patrol car, parked outside the prestigious Ouran Academy. Aiko scoffed.

"Don't patronize me."

"Come on, I've been worried about you." He pressed, loosening his tie and fiddling with his rather cliché trench coat. Though Aiko only called him Officer Shiro, she was pretty sure he had been promoted to Lieutenant several years ago. It didn't matter to her, because one way or another, it was this man that was a constant annoyance and comfort to her unstable life. Rank was only a matter of opinion. Besides, she knew it drove him crazy that she didn't call him by proper rank.

Also, had she known the Singing Dragon Drunk was his favorite restaurant, she would have quit day one.

"Well, you shouldn't be." She eventually bit back.

In the minute he had seen her at what happened to be his favorite place to dine every few weeks, Officer Shiro took it upon himself to escort Aiko home. She was grateful of the free ride and all, but several times during the trip over to pick up Haruhi from school, there were times when she knew that if she jumped out of the moving car, there would only be minimal chance of breaking her legs, and that it would be worth it.

"I am glad you found a job. But don't you think you should try enrolling back into high school?" Officer Shiro kept pressing. Honestly, he was like the nosy grandmother Aiko always avoided visiting. All nice and genuinely interested in her welfare. It annoyed her to unknown boundaries.

"No. I don't."

"What if it was someplace like this? This looks nice." Officer Shiro gestured to the main building that stood towering over them. Its imposing height made Aiko crane her neck to see the peak of it, and she grimaced at its pink touched walls.

"Not even if I was paid. Too many damn, weird, rich kids."

The elder gentleman shook his head in disappointment.

"I see your attitude has yet to change." He sighed.

"I see your waist line has." Aiko instantly rebutted, sending him a glare for his meddling. He however, used to her hostile nature, only gave her a mildly reproachful look.

"Honestly, you could try to be a bit friendlier. After all we've gone through together, I think I deserve just a little politeness. "

Aiko merely huffed a sigh and went back to inspecting her boots.

How many years had she known this man? Since she was eleven, wasn't it? In other words; too, damn, long. And that was both bad and good. Bad, cause he was a constant annoyance. Good, because he was constant. He was one of the only constant and available persons in her life. There were so few, and there would be even fewer soon, especially with what she had planned around the corner.

Another sigh left her, knowing when she was beat.

_He did, after all, drive me here._

"…how's your wife?" She managed to say politely after a moment, with hardly any deride in her voice at all. Officer Shiro smiled.

"She's fine. Thanks for asking. She had been wondering about you lately."

This piqued Aiko's interest, as her brows unknitted themselves in innocent curiosity.

"Really?"

Officer Shiro nodded, recognizing the softer, more agreeable side of Aiko finally coming out of that crusty, sarcastic shell.

"Yeah, she liked to have you over again sometime. Say's you were a sweet kid." His smile turned into a ponderous frown, and he put a hand to his chin to emphasize the thought. "Then again, she is a bad judge of character."

Aiko smirked, widely and proudly.

"I can see that. She married you after all."

"Yup, you haven't changed one bit." Officer Shiro said with a laugh.

It was always the same whenever he came by to see Aiko throughout the years he had known her. Ever since she was a just a kid, she had a pension for getting herself into trouble and for being around people that were trouble. Maybe it was genetics. But, he knew her to be a good girl, buried underneath all the sarcasm and temper.

Deep, deep, deeply buried underneath.

He had been coming and going into her life to see how she was fairing out of concern, sure, but today caught him off guard as it did she. He didn't expect her to be working, especially not at his favorite bar. But, he was glad. Even if she wasn't planning on enrolling any time soon, it was good to see her moving past it, at least, moving past it enough to try and live in the world instead of on it.

"How's my father?" Aiko asked, pulling the elder gentleman out of his thoughts. He wasn't surprised to hear this, he had been expecting her to ask. Officer Shiro however, was still not quite sure what to respond with.

"He's fine. As can be expected. He misses you." He decided on. Aiko nodded, crossing her arms in thought and uneasiness.

"I know."

"You can go see him."

She shook her head, her eyes refusing to glance up from the ground.

"I can't. Not while he's there. It's wrong."

_It's more than wrong. It's unjust…it's unfair. _

At this, Officer Shiro sighed.

"I know kid."

Risking her temper, he gave her a reassuring pat on the back, and was surprised to see her so accepting of the gesture. They stood there like that for a while, silent, Aiko's thick hair acting as a curtain to shield her from Officer Shiro's concerned gaze. She didn't need his pity. She would get through this just fine, just like last time. Only, unlike last time, it would be she that would help get her father out of-

"Aiko!"

Both Officer Shiro and Aiko glanced up at the familiar voice of Haruhi, and the two of them smiled.

"Oh, hey Haruhi."

"Hello there Haruhi!"

Recognizing the man now thanks to the closing distance, Haruhi sent back a breathless greeting to the elderly officer.

"Hello Lieutenant Shiro. What are you doing here?" She asked, rather in a hurry. Aiko caught a hint of worry in her cousin's voice, and momentarily frowned. What had her so worked up?

"I'm here to pick you up." Answered Officer Shiro with a cheery smile. Haruhi, finally realizing what was going on with somewhat of a relieved smile, was about to reply when a grating shriek came up behind her.

"WHAT?!"

In a flash of blue, the entire Host Club had spilled themselves onto either side of Haruhi, like a wall of uniformed jackets. On their faces were anxiety and worry, and the one Aiko remembered being the club's idiot president placed a protective hand on her cousin's shoulder.

"Please, what are the charges?! Haruhi, how could you have gone criminal?! It was her, wasn't it?! Large size Haruhi, how could you lead our sweet Haruhi astray?!"

Aiko felt a growl escape her throat. That idiot had it coming to him one of these days. Standing right beside him though was an even bigger annoyance to Aiko, pretty boy, who didn't look like he was about to partake in the conversation, but was giving Aiko a very concentrated and unreadable stare, which she returned.

She would have liked to say that ever since they had last met, Aiko hadn't spared pretty boy, Kyoya, a second thought. That would have been a lie. He had become a symbol of the infuriating people in her life. And whenever her anger rose in the slightest, poof, there'd he be in her thoughts, like a devil on her shoulder, stirring her to work harder, forget faster, and raise her blood pressure higher.

It…was…maddening. And a little bit confusing.

Thankfully, Haruhi defused the tension bomb that was ticking by stepping down the last set of stairs the Host Club had perched themselves on to join Aiko and Officer Shiro on the drive.

"Senpai, shut up." She commanded, and instantly the president's whining worries were silenced.

"I, I…like I said, I'm here to pick you up." Went on Officer Shiro, not knowing what was quite going on, but felt the need to explain further just in case. "I wanted to take you and Aiko to dinner. For old time's sake. My treat."

At this, Haruhi was pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, really? Thank you very much Lieutenant Shiro."

"Dinner?" Asked one of the hosts behind Haruhi. The rabble of them were becoming greatly confused, and hurriedly Haruhi moved on to say something else in order to keep them from speaking.

"When I saw the police car, and then Aiko, I–"

"You thought I was in trouble? Gee, thanks." Interrupted Aiko, who over the course of this little get together was getting more and more irritated. She did not like having a gaggle of idiots around to witness her embarrassing relationship with Officer Shiro. She did not like having a gaggle of idiots around period. Plus, pretty boy was still staring at her, and she got the notion that he was judging her, or at least sizing her up. To say the least, Aiko was quite uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

_Just who does he think he is? Being all pompous, and after having nearly threatened me into leaving last time we met! He's just an annoying, rude, high and mighty bastar- _

"It is a safe assumption to make Aiko." Spoke Shiro, trying to maintain what little peace there was as he once again gave Aiko a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "Remember how many times I had to bring you back home? Cripes, you turned running away from home into a sport."

"I never ran away from home! I just kept getting lost, that's all!" She protested loudly, arms folding themselves defensively across her chest as her eyes glared for all they were worth towards the lawman. He however, raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"For days at a time?"

"Yes, okay? I have a lousy sense of direction! Lock me away!"

Before Shiro could take her up on that offer of incarceration, the club's president, Tamaki Aiko remembered was his name, spoke up somewhat dumbfoundedly.

"So then…this police officer is not here to arrest Aiko or Haruhi?"

"No." Answered Haruhi tersely. In a matter of milliseconds, her chest was constricted as Tamaki ran towards her in relief and wrapped her tightly in his arms. Aiko could be seen tensing up, knowing her cousin's dislike for such contact, but Haruhi handled it quickly. Prying herself out of Tamaki's grip, the smiling imbecile went on to speak.

"What a relief! Daddy is so happy!"

"Ugh, there he goes again. Haruhi, make him stop." Whined Aiko in disgust.

"If I only I could." Haruhi mumbled to her cousin as she came to stand beside her, wanting to give Lieutenant Shiro a better welcome. Of course though, she was interrupted, this time by Honey-Senpai.

"So, how do you know the police officer man Ai-chan? Did you really run away from home?"

"No, like I said. Lousy sense of direction. And where do you get off calling my Ai-chan?!" The now infuriated girl ended with a growl, eyes like lasers. Honey-Senpai was thoroughly intimidated by this display and found his way back to Mori, who dutifully began the process of consolation.

There was a lull for a moment as each individual in the strange gathering wondered what was next. But, as to be expected, it was Kyoya who stepped up to take charge. Aiko had wondered why he had been silent through the ordeal, but now missed his silence when his overly polite tone began to cast its charming spell.

"Well, now that this matter has been settled, can we please finish our meeting? We still have a few things left to discuss. Haruhi, you may go if you wish, but you all do understand my reason for ending this quickly, as it will not do at this academy to have such a gathering on its property."

To his benefit, Kyoya's suggestion was calm and logical enough, but unfortunately for him, the first to answer was Aiko.

"What, running away are you, pretty boy? From me?" She asked with a smirk. Immediately after she had said that through, she already began to regret it. She had just rid herself of him, why was she trying to start something?

_Because I want to, that's why. Don't need a reason. He did almost hit me with his dad's limo. And the devil needs a devil of his own. _

Pretty boy only smiled politely at her, the glare from his glasses disguising half his face.

"Of course not, Aiko-san. Merely, the presence of a police officer would not be taken lightly by the other students or school board."

As Aiko rolled her eyes at his concern for image, Officer Shiro spoke up shyly.

"Oh, sorry. That's my fault. I was so surprised to see Aiko that I didn't return to the station to change cars." He confessed bashfully, he beginning to feel quite awkward for having caused all this misunderstanding. Kyoya merely flashed him the same, damn, polite smile, and Aiko could feel her skin crawl with agitation.

"Be that as it may, if you could depart at your earliest expediency, it would be-"

"Spare your polite words for somebody whose idiot enough to believe them. We won't spoil your view for much longer, pretty boy." Aiko interrupted him as she took a couple steps towards him. At her interruption, pretty boy sent her a very mild, almost invisible glare of annoyance. How she almost envied the skill he had. It was easy with his mask. He goes from polite to rude to depending on the company, and right now he was only being nice for the sake of the others.

But Aiko couldn't stand people who could lie like that. Of course he wanted her gone and the officer gone, she could understand that. She didn't mind it truthfully. But when people lied, she couldn't stand it. Maybe that's why she found pretty boy to be so grating to her nature, why he had stuck around her thoughts. Maybe.

Now closer than before to pretty boy, Aiko noticed something she hadn't before, and tilted her head in interest.

"Wait a minute…" At this, she strode even closer to Kyoya, coming to stop only a few feet away. Eyes intently trained at his side, pretty boy seemed momentarily flustered when she bold made to grab his hand, only to instead snatch something out of it.

Silence paraded above all as Aiko held aloft what she had snatched from Kyoya's grip. Some of the host members eyes widened in surprise, while some felt ready to split their sides in laughter. Haruhi groaned, recognizing what it was, and Officer Shiro blinked in mild shock.

Aiko however, intently stared at Kyoya, who just as intently, stared back. Finally, holding the frayed picture in front of her face, she spoke, voice laden with curiosity.

"Pretty boy…you mind explaining to me…why you have…a picture of me?"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, while that was all fun and good, what does the next chapter hold? Will Kyoya be able to impress his father? Will he give Aiko an explanation about why he was holding her picture that will not result in his ending up on her most wanted list? Will Aiko get herself a cat?! I don't know, I haven't written the next chapter yet, but stay tuned to find out!<strong>


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